Nestlé is facing mounting pressure as Perrier water sales have taken a nosedive, while a high-profile environmental case against the Swiss company has been postponed amid growing public scrutiny.
Perrier, once the sparkling jewel in Nestlé's bottled water crown, is feeling the sting of a major consumer backlash.
Following revelations of environmental misconduct by Nestlé Waters, sales of Perrier have taken a sharp dive – down 14 percent since January and a staggering 23 percent compared to this time last year.
The slump follows investigative reports by Le Monde newspaper and Radio France, which uncovered serious breaches in Nestlé’s water bottling operations.
The fallout has been swift. While the bottled water sector overall is seeing a modest rebound – up 2.5 percent in early 2025 thanks to a milder spring – Perrier’s decline is notably out of step with the rest of the market.
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Consumers switching brands
“This isn’t a sector-wide crisis,” said Christophe Lekieffre, general delegate of the Syndicate of Spring and Natural Mineral Waters – SESEMN. “The market is growing again, and clearly consumers are simply switching to other brands”.
While still and sparkling water sales dipped slightly in 2024, the broader market hasn’t suffered nearly as much as Perrier.
The drop in Perrier sales – once a household staple – signals that brand loyalty is no match for environmental concerns in today’s market.
Nestlé court case post-poned
The backlash comes amid a growing legal headache for Nestlé.
A high-profile trial, where Nestlé Waters faces charges for illegal waste dumping in the Vosges region, was due to begin this week.
However, a court in Nancy has postponed proceedings to November due to late summons and an unexpectedly large list of witnesses.
Nestlé is accused of maintaining four massive illegal dumps, containing over 470,000 cubic metres of waste – roughly equivalent to 126 Olympic swimming pools.
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The waste includes everything from plastic and demolition debris to vehicle parts and glass.
Prosecutors say the environmental damage is serious, with reports of microplastics contaminating surface and groundwater, harming ecosystems and potentially human health.
The company maintains that the waste predates its ownership and claims to have cleaned up most of the affected sites.
The court proceedings are expected to delve deeper into the practices highlighted in a recent Senate report, which also accused state bodies of a cover-up.
